The 3rd International Borneo Sumpit Tournament

The 3rd International Borneo Sumpit Tournament

5 Jul 2013 -
7 Jul 2013

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For the 3rd time running, the exotic city of Singkawang in West Kalimantan will come alive with the swooshing sounds of Sumpit-the traditional Dayakblowpipe weapon, as the 3rd Internatinal Borneo Sumpit Tournament (IBoST) gets underway from 5th to 7th July 2013.

After being held in Pontianak last year, this year the tournament returns to Singkawang where the tournament was first held in 2011. As in previous years, the tournament will be joined by participants from all over the island of Borneo including from neighbouring Brunei Darussalam and Malaysia, and also from other parts of Indonesia such as from Yogyakarta.

Sumpit is a traditional blowpipe weapon of the different Dayak ethnic groups who inhabit the major parts of the island of Borneo, including in all of the Indonesian provinces in Kalimantan as well as in neighbouring countries of Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam.

The Sumpit is made from light wood, having a minimum length of approximately 1.50 meters with the maximum measuring to 2.25 meters. Sumpit was originally used by Dayak tribes as weapon to hunt animals in the jungles, but subsequently it became a weapon of self-defense and used in tribal wars. As bullets, the Sumpit uses what is known as tamiang or lamiang – short bamboo sticks, which have been previously dipped in poison.

As the second largest city in West Kalimantan, the town of Singkawang is a melting point of indigenous Borneo Dayak ethnic groups and Chinese descendants. The city is famed for the extraordinary Cap Go Meh (Chinese New Year Pinnacle Celebration) which features the exotic Tatung attraction. Bordering the State of Sarawak, in Malaysia, Singkawang has a distinct oriental atmosphere with hundreds of Chinese temples found around almost every corner of town.